Intel Core i9-7980XE vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Core i9-7980XE vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT and see which is better for games or normal use for video editing, rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Furmark, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, Prime95, Gears 5, WPrime, PCMark 10, Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, RealBench, MATLAB, SuperPi, 7zip, Blender, PassMark.
   And how good the processors are in games:

Grand Theft Auto V
Cyberpunk 2077
Last Man Standing
Watch Dogs Legion
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Valorant
DOOM: Eternal
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Death Stranding
Halo Infinite
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Fortnite
Fallout 76
Rainbow Six Siege
Apex Legends
Valheim
Red Dead Redemption 2
Borderlands 3
Overwatch

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT or Intel Core i9-7980XE.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i9-7980XE

58%

Ryzen 5 3600XT

55%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-7980XE is 5% better than Ryzen 5 3600XT. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7980XE

60%

Ryzen 5 3600XT

54%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Battlefield V, Monster Hunter World, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	107.0	96.6
Valorant	121.6	109.7
Cyberpunk 2077	68.1	61.4
Apex Legends	114.3	103.1
Call of Duty Warzone	91.2	82.3
Overwatch	98.5	88.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.9	75.7
DOOM Eternal	60.8	54.9
Warzone	94.9	85.6
Assassin's Creed	102.2	92.2
Valheim	100.9	91.1

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-7980XE

23%

Ryzen 5 3600XT

48%

To make a finishing decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 5 3600XT is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7980XE since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	207
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3455	1671
Cinbench 20 Single-core	446	519
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7671	3855
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1281	1330
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	28196	9945

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
Single-Core	2490	2831
Multi-Core	29612	18815

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
Single-Core	1158	1386
Multi-Core	18658	8390

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
Announcement date	April 01, 2017	July 23, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	9	3
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.5 MHz
Frequency	2.6 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	18	6
Threads	36	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	24.75 MB	32MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-100000281BOX

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3600XT is 31% better than Core i9-7980XE in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7980XE has 12 more core than Ryzen 5 3600XT. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7980XE is better: 23
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT is better: 13
However, it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-7980XE and AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i9-7980XE specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT specs and review.